62-blue_sm2012 wwj950-sm2011b 971-ticket-35smb 35h_CBSSportsRad_Detroit

Local

Van Dyke Public Schools Closed After Bus Batteries Stolen

View Comments
WWJ Photo/Mike Campbell

WWJ Photo/Mike Campbell

mikecampbell

Reporting Mike Campbell

WARREN (WWJ) - Van Dyke Public Schools in Warren are closed Friday because of bus vandalism.

A recording from the Superintendent’s office says: “Today is Friday, December 16 and due to a transportation problem, the district will be closed today.”

WWJ’s Mike Campbell was live at the scene, where the district’s 20 buses are kept in a bus yard at 9 Mile and Hoover.

Van Dyke Superintendent Joseph Pius said thieves broke into the bus yard by cutting a hole in the fence. He said the crooks stole three batteries each from 15 buses, leaving only five in operation.

 Van Dyke Public Schools Closed After Bus Batteries Stolen

Thieves entered the lot through this hole they cut into the fence. (WWJ Photo/Mike Campbell)

“They came through somebody’s yard, cut the fence and came in. There are three batteries in each bus and they got each one of the three. These people knew what they were doing. The interesting part of this is that they did not cut the cables. They actually took the time to undo each of the cables, to unbolt them as opposed to cutting them. So, they had some time to get in there,” said Pius.

The district is working with their insurance company to get the buses back in operation for Monday, but Pius said the replacements are going to be costly for the district.

“This will cost us probably about $4,000 to $5,000 to replace,” he said.

Pius said the district does not have security cameras at the facility and so far, no suspects.

“So they can sell them on the streets someplace. I’m sure that’s what happened. So if there are any salvage groups out there that may be approached by somebody with a whole stock full of batteries to please contact the police,” said Pius.

The district is talking to the transportation board about options to install security cameras at the lot.

Police say an investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Warren Police Department at 586-574-4700.

View Comments
  • Jason

    How does one steal 900lbs of batteries? and how do you get them through that hole they cut in the fence? Their’s almost no value in recycling these, let be honest batteries arent made with copper so this theft was deliberate. Why else would they take such care in disconnecting all the bettery leads? These were probably stolen so someone can make a back up power supply for a grow operation………

    • William Jones

      Good question Dingus. There was certainly more than one persona and it doesn’t take long to load up 45 batteries.

  • RogerBall

    They’ll steal the stink off of shyt in Detroit.

  • Marshall Law

    I’m guessing that they do have vocational training there.

  • exDetroiter

    Because of white flight, Detroit did not survive.
    Wrong.
    Because of white flight, blacks could not keep Detroit in business.

  • Bill

    must of needed them for their chevy volts.

  • Daniel Morgan

    I didn’t think there was anything left of value in the greater Detroit area.

  • DeusVult

    How sad & pathetic….
    Sh!thole detroit the result of YEARS of leftist/liberal leadership!
    2012-SAVE THE REPUBLIC!
    NO MORE “resident” (thats NOT a typo!) obama, mooochelle “cant wait to go on vacation/make them eat veggies” antionette and the cabal of socialist/marxist czars!!!
    GOD BLESS AMERICA! GOD “SAVE” THE REPUBLIC!

  • Daddy-O

    A brilliant ploy – one less day of Communist indoctrination from the Detoilet public scrool system…

  • TJG

    What are they crying about? According to the math that Democrats like to use the fact that the criminals didn’t steal the tires, as well, saved the district 20 thousand dollars.

    They should be thanking the crooks for such a generous donation.

    • Dave

      that’s it… TJG… we missed the point…the real subtext here is that we should be thankful the crooks left behind the busses..

      but you missed one other important point.. this crime is no one’s fault… society has failed Detroit.. they are victims .. so nothing was really stolen.. just re-positioned. Besides, the school system there is so progressive and successful, these kids need the time off to let their over-worked brains rest

      • TJG

        Not re-positioned…re-distributed, it was simply the re-distribution of batteries.

        I think the local Liberal Democrats should send these modern day Robin Hoods Christma…err…ahh…Holiday Cards.

        And a Happy Kwanzaa to you and yours, Dave.

  • Em Spearing

    Ha ha ha! Oh, Detroit, you so deserve the mess you’ve made for yourselves. Check with Chicago and see if any of Mrs. O’Leary’s cows are left over. Do it right away and end the misery. Merry Christmas.

  • JerzeyBoy

    Does it matter that these kids did not go to school?
    Besides, I grew up in Newark, NJ, we did not have school buses, we did a strange thing; Walked to school. No wonder they are all fat.

  • davec

    “They knew what they were doing?”

    HARDLY, any idiot can cut a fence and disconnect a battery.

  • davec

    Hey Detroit, youre playing penny ante with bus batteries, go steal Electric car batteries, those cost THOUSANDS each..

    heh heh heh I can hear it nnow, another failure of electric cars!

  • Dave

    Detroit’s collapse is the result of the liberal entitlement nanny state ideology.. for decades money has been poured into that swirling bowl only to be grafted and wasted. And no matter how much money is poured in, it gets flushed.

    Take a good long look because it is a testament to decades of Demorat control

  • John Moser

    The kids are safer that way, and the education is about the same.

  • TJG

    Sounds like some lucky children will be finding a bus battery under the old Kwanzaa tree this year.

  • TJG

    I think some local talent was doing his Kwanzaa shop-lifting at the local toy store and he noticed that many of the toys had “BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED” printed on the outside of the boxes, suddenly a bright idea popped into his relatively empty head.

  • Bawanna

    Those poor victimized black people. Dae got 2 eet 2. Obama dun not send no monee 2 dem yet.

  • sean patriot

    Thats right. Keep your iwn people STUPID, but its whity’s fault right?

  • sean patriot

    Thats right. Keep your own people STUPID, but its whitey’s fault right ?

  • Jewfromhell

    Yo check im out on Hardcore Pawn next week. Big battery sale!

  • http://thereclinercommentator.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/todays-news-sunday-dec-18-2011/ Today’s News-Sunday Dec. 18, 2011 « The Recliner Commentator

    [...] 2. This happened in Detroit where houses have been sold for $1, which by the way has been under Democratic control for many, many years now. [...]

1 2
blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

Holiday Season Poll

Select a Live Stream